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StarUML vs Mermaid: catalog facts
StarUMLMermaid
Paid

Commercial software; see the website for licence options.

Free

Free and open source under the MIT licence.

macOS Web, Command line
  • Covers most UML 2 diagram types
  • Mixes UML, ERD, SysML, BPMN and more in one project
  • Diagrams are plain text, so they diff and review like code
  • Rendered natively by GitHub, GitLab and most documentation generators
  • Commercial licence
  • Closed source
  • Layout is automatic, so fine control over positioning is limited
  • Complex diagrams become hard to read in source form
Downloadable app Web application, Downloadable app
Closed source Open source
License not stated License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline Not stated if it works offline

Checked October 1, 2026

Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.